The Reaping Tributes POVs
by ArianaWeasly
Summary: The other Tributes POVs during their Reapings. Please note: All of these chapters are oneshots of the other tributes from my story TWINS. Please don't read this until you've read the story TWINS. TWINS can be found under KatnissTheGirlOnFire19 's stories, for I co-write the story with her.
1. Chapter 1 District 1

**Amber's POV**

**-District 1-**

_I was in the Arena, one of the last two tributes to be alive. I snuck around the edge of the Cornucopia, and waited, my heart pounding. Something dropped out of the sky and hit me on the shoulders. I fell on the ground and looked up, to see who my attacker was._

_It was William, the boy from District 2. He was the only other one alive. He raised his knife, and…started to jump on me._

_"Huh?" I said, confused by his actions._

_William just continued to jump, and jump, and jump, and jump…_

"Ouch!" I cried out, waking up.

My little sister, Quartza, was jumping on my bed, to wake me up. Well, she was jumping on _me_ more than she was on the bed. A particularly painful blow to the stomach caused me to wake up.

"Quartza cut it out!" I said, throwing my pillow at her.

"But mommy told me to wake you up!" She said, batting her eyelashes.

I sighed. Quartza could be so _stupid_ sometimes. Being 4 gave her an excuse though, I guess.

"Go help mommy make the pancakes," I said, shooing her off my bed.

"How'd you know we were having pancakes?" Quartza asked, her fat little face crinkled up in confusion.

"Magic," I said, causing her eyes to bug out.

Quartza then sprinted down the stairs yelling, "Mommy, mommy! Amber's magical! She knew we were making her pancakes!"

I rolled my dark brown eyes, any fool could figure out what we were having for breakfast by the smell of pancakes in the air. I sniffed in deeper. Good, there was no bacon smell. My mom knew I hated bacon. Usually she would make it anyways, just for my dad and Quartza, but I guessed she realized that today was an emotional day for me, the day of the Reaping.

I guess it wouldn't be too bad to be picked; I knew my stuff and could win easily. I just didn't want to leave Quartza. She could be a pain, but I loved her.

I pulled back my covers and got out of bed. Looking in the mirror, I saw that my long blonde hair was in a big knot. I sighed, my mom would have to fix that later when I got ready.

After pulling on a pair of pink fuzzy slippers, I trudged downstairs.

"Morning," I grunted.

"Morning!" Said my mom and dad in unison. I could tell they were being overly cheery for my sake. I didn't really need their support though, I wasn't nervous at all about today. Even if I was picked, another girl would probably volunteer for me. There was a volunteer almost every year.

I smiled at them, and poured myself a glass of orange juice.

"Pancakes?" Quartza asked me sweetly.

"Mmhmm," I said.

Quartza carefully placed 3 pancakes on my plate. I smothered them in syrup and gobbled them down. I wanted to have time to get ready, if I was going to look good for the Reaping.

"Can you help me get ready?" I asked my mom.

"Sure thing honey," my mom replied with a smile.

Ugh. Adults were so _cheesy _when it came to the Games.

I walked back upstairs, into my room.

"What should I wear?" I asked my mom.

"How about your red dress?" she asked.

"Perfect," I said, rummaging through my closet.

I pulled out the red dress and slipped it on. It was strapless and short; it hugged my chest, gathered at my natural waist, and flowed out to my knees. It was a cheery bright red color, and had brown trim that matched the color of my eyes.

I slipped into a pair of red heels. I was short, and wanted the extra couple of inches to make me look a little bit more sophisticated.

"Let's tackle your hair now," my mom said, walking up to me with a hair brush.

I sighed and sat down on my bed, allowing my mom to brush through my hair. It was painful, but nothing compared to what the Games would be like. Not that I would ever be in them. When my mom was done brushing my hair out, it looked beautiful. We decided to not do anything to it, so it would look natural. My hair was blonde, straight, and long. It hung down almost to my hips.

"You look amazing," my mom said to me.

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "Thanks mom. See you after the Reaping."

She smiled and I walked out of my room, down the stairs, and out the door. I joined the crowd of people heading toward the Justice Building. I fell so small in the gigantic crowd, even though I was 18, the oldest age group in the Games.

Everything was a blur until the actual Reaping began.

"Hello! Hello!" Our escort, Louis Reade, said cheerfully as he stepped onto the stage. "This year is a very special year! It is a Quarter Quell!"

I forgot about that. Quarter Quell's were very special years, which only came every 25 years. They were awful, because the Capitol always made them extra violent.

Louis pulled out an envelope bearing the Capitol Seal, and opened it with gusto. A surprised expression crossed his face. "Well! This year we all have ladies as tributes! No gentlemen, very interesting!" He said, excited. "Let's get on with it!"

My jaw dropped. Only girls would be going into the Games? That means my chances of being picked had increased! What was I going to do if I was picked?

I drew in my breath as Louis plunged his hand into the glass bowl on stage. Only now did I notice there was only one bowl.

"Chiffon Catalano!" he announced.

I looked around, trying to find this girl Chiffon. I recognized her last name from somewhere… I knew who it was the minute my eyes fell upon a tall, blonde, 17 year old girl, who had a very uneasy look on her face. She quickly corrected her face into a smile. She was very beautiful when she looked happy.

"Aren't you a pretty girl?" Louis said to Chiffon as she walked onto the stage.

She gave him a small smile.

"Any volunteers?" Louis asked, looking out into the crowd. Nobody moved a muscle.

"Now, the other tribute!" He said, plunging his hand into the glass bowl again.

"Amber Schorl!"

I wanted to cry. I hadn't cried since I was 3, and that's a very long time to go without crying. I wanted to be brave though, for Quartza. I walked up onto the stage, and looked out into the crowd, trying to keep my emotions from showing.

My eyes first fell onto Quartza, who looked confused. Then I saw my mom and dad, who had equally sad expressions on their faces.

I quickly looked away, for their faces made me want to cry even more.

"Any volunteers?" Louis asked.

Silence followed. Of course nobody would want to volunteer on a Quarter Quell year.

"Nobody? Okay, I give you our tributes from District 1, Chiffon and Amber!" Louis announced. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour."

I shook hands with Chiffon. She had a firm grip. Her face looked familiar.

Suddenly I found myself frantically searching the crowd for someone. My eyes fell upon a guy in the 18 year old boy section. He had blue eyes, blonde hair, he was tall, and very athletic looking. He looked like a cute boy version of Chiffon. His name was Luke Catalano. He was my boyfriend. He had a horrified look on his face, and I knew why.

I was going into the Games with his sister.


	2. Chapter 2 District 2

**Amaya's POV**

**-District 2-**

_Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrring! _

I groaned and stuck my hand out, smacking down on my alarm clock. It fell silent. Groaning even more, I slid out of bed, to do my daily workout. Just because it was Reaping day didn't mean I shouldn't still be training. After all, I was only 17, so if I wasn't chosen this year, I might be next year. That meant extra training.

I slipped out of my pajamas, and put on my training clothes. As I was pulling my hair up into a tight ponytail, I glanced at the clock. 6:03 AM. I always train for 3 hours in the morning, which meant I should finish at about 9:00.

Quickly, I tied my tennis shoes and put on a watch, so I would know when to finish my workout.

I crept out my door and along the hallway, careful not to wake up my parents. The lazy bums always slept in until 7:00. I walked into the kitchen, where I ran into our family Avox.

"Can you get me an apple?" I asked.

She nodded. 30 seconds later, she handed me a washed apple on a napkin. I was about to take a bite when I noticed a small hole in it.

"EW!" I shrieked at her, "This apple has a hole in it! A worm's in here!"

The Avox shook her head frantically, as if to say _No! There's no worm in there!_

I threw the apple at the wall in disgust, watching it explode into pieces. Good, that meant more work for my Avox.

"Get me a fresh one," I snapped at her.

20 seconds later, a new, freshly washed apple was placed on top of the napkin in my hand.

"This is on the same napkin the old apple was on! It's dirty! Get me a new napkin!" I screeched.

The Avox took my napkin, and handed me a new one.

"The apple is still dirty!" I yelled.

The Avox looked like she wanted to smack me, as she snatched the apple from my hands, rewashed it, and gave it back to me.

"There we go," I said sweetly. I got a glare in return.

I walked out the door, munching on my apple. It was very juicy, delicious, and wormless. I smirked as I thought of my Avox frantically wiping up my smashed apple. She would have to clean it up before my parents woke up, otherwise she would be whipped.

I finished my apple, tossed the core over my shoulder, and began to jog towards the training center. The training center was about 5 miles away from my house. Every morning, to begin my workout, I would jog the first mile and then sprint as fast as I could the rest of the way. My record time for those last 4 miles was 10 minutes. I could run the first two miles in about 3 minutes, and the last two in about 3 and a half.

I was the best runner in my high school. I loved to brag about that. I checked my watch, which also kept track of how many miles I ran. 0.8…0.9…1!

I began to sprint, my arms pumping up and down, and my legs a blur. The fierce wind made my eyes water, so I blinked rapidly. I checked my watch, and watched the miles flash by. 4.5…4.6…4.7…4.8…

I could see the training building just a block or two away…

4.9…5!

I slowed down and came to a halt in front of the building, breathing heavily. I had barely broken a sweat though, running 5 miles was nothing. Walking up to the door of the building, I noticed it had a keypad next to it. I was supposed to know a password to get in there. They must've figured out I'd been here; I wasn't supposed to be using this building after all.

Great. There had to be some other way to get in. Maybe a back door? No…I'd never seen one here. A window? No…there were no windows. But wait, where did all the light come from then? There were no lights in the building, they thought it was a waste of energy. So that meant the light had to come from…_the skylights._

I could sneak in through the skylights! Quickly, I grabbed the rope that was sitting under a bench outside the Training Center. I always put it there, and I usually used it in workouts that involved pulling weights around. Today, it would have a different purpose.

I wrapped the rope loosely around my arm and quickly began to scale the building. It was made out of brick, which meant lots of footholds. It was 2 stories tall, a very easy climb. I made it up in about 15 seconds.

I scrambled up onto the roof of the building, and saw a bunch of glass. The skylights. I hurried over to one section of the glass that was near the satellite dish on top of the building. I would have to use the satellite dish to tie my rope to, as I descended into the building.

There was a small lock over the latch on the skylight, which I quickly picked with a hairpin. I slowly raised the glass up, being careful not to smash it. Then I tied one end of the rope tightly around the satellite dish, and threw the other end down into the building. I tugged on it to test that it was secure, and then lowered myself down the hole.

My hands and feet tightly gripped the rope, and I began to inch down. Deciding that I was being a wimp to go this slow, I began to go faster, crossing my hands and feet over each other nimbly, until I reached the bottom.

The light that was streaming into the Training Center lit up all of the equipment; exercise bikes, treadmills, weight lifting stations, dummies to slash up with swords, the whole shebang. My favorite stations were the ones with the swords, bow and arrows, and spears.

First I went to the sword station. After about an hour of ripping off dummies heads, tearing open their stomachs, and cutting off their limbs, I went over to the bow and arrow station.

I had worked up a good sweat with the sword, so sweat was pouring down my face and back. Even more sweat started dripping off of me as I shot 500 dummies in the heart with my bow and arrows. I had fun with it, by tying myself upside down with the rope that was still hanging from the ceiling, and shooting the dummies that way. It was a challenge, especially since gravity was all wacky, but by the end I could shoot very well.

Now I moved on to the final station, spear throwing. I picked up my favorite blue spear, and whipped it at the nearest dummy. I watched it sink into the dummy's heart; it went so far in the tip was sticking out the dummy's back. I smiled, pulled it out, and went to work on the other dummies.

After an hour of that, it was 9:00. I threw out the wasted dummies, and put everything back exactly where it had been before. The water fountain looked very tempting, so I took a long drink before I left.

Now was the hard part. I grabbed the rope and shimmied up it. It was very hard on my arms, but they had taken worse before. As I got back on the roof, I shook out my shoulders and arms so they wouldn't cause me any pain later. I dragged the rope out, untied it from the satellite dish, and then wrapped it around my arm. Then I replaced the pane of glass, and locked up the latch.

Looking down off of the roof, I noticed that it wouldn't be too far to jump off of. I didn't want to strain my upper body _too_ much with the climb down. Taking a deep breath, I ran, and jumped off the edge of the building.

Everything flew by in slow motion; my hair came out of its ponytail, and I tucked myself into a ball as the ground came closer. My feet hit the ground first, then, quickly, I tucked up even more and somersaulted about 5 times before I came to a stop.

I lied on the ground for a moment to check if I was ok. Slowly, I shook each limb. No pain came. I stood up gingerly. Still no pain. I felt a smile break across my face, as I realized,_ I could do this. If I can jump off a building without injuring myself, I could do anything. I could win the Games._

I might've volunteered this year if it wasn't for the fact that it was a Quarter Quell. _I shouldn't look too eager, _I thought as I replaced the rope and began to run home. _I guess I'll just have to hope that I'm chosen._

The run home was the opposite of my run to the Training Center; I sprinted the first 4 miles, and then jogged the last one, until I finally slowed down to a walk.

My time on the way home was always about 15 seconds slower, which I hated. It made it look like I was weak. I wasn't weak; I could win the Games with my hands tied behind my back. That is, if I was Reaped. Knowing my luck, I wouldn't be.

I walked inside my house, greeting my parents with, "Hey."

"How was training?" Dad asked. He was the one who taught me how to sneak into the building in the first place; he had always wanted me to be Reaped.

"Great," I said. "I ran into a small snag though. The door was locked; they have this new keypad thingy. I just scaled the building and went in through the skylight."

"Atta girl," my dad said, grinning proudly.

"Nice job sweetie!" Mom congratulated me.

I was an only child, so they always wanted me to succeed. When I did, (which was often), they got overjoyed. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though; their support led me to being the best athlete in my high school.

"Can you help me get ready?" I asked my mom.

"Of course," she said with a smile. She wanted me to be small and helpless, so she could teach me everything all over again. Whenever I got the chance, I asked her to help me; she _loved_ it.

I walked to my room with my mom, and sat down on the bed.

My mom followed me in, clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and said, "You are so sweaty! Take a shower!"

I took a quick shower and dried off as fast as I could. Living in District 2 did have its advantages, they had these driers that could dry off your skin and hair instantly, plus all these wonderful scents you could bathe in; my signature was vanilla. It was almost as good as living in the Capitol.

I walked out into the room, in my bathrobe.

"Turn around," my mom said.

I spun around for her, as she watched me like a hawk.

"I say you should wear your light blue dress," my mom said.

She went into my closet and pulled out a beautiful light blue dress. The blue was almost a gray, which I loved. Gray was my favorite color, as it was the color of my eyes. It seemed like everybody chose their outfits to match their eyes, and I was no exception.

My mom turned away as I put the dress on. I was a simple dresser, and the dress reflected that. It was made out of chiffon; light and floaty, just how I like it. The dress was sleeveless, and had a high neckline. It gathered at my waist, and went down to the middle of my thighs. I put on a pair of blue/gray flats that matched the color of my dress. I never wore high heels, for I was fine with my average height.

"Now let's put your hair-"My mom began.

"In a ponytail," I said, cutting her off.

"Fine," my mom sighed.

I refused to put my hair in anything but a ponytail. If it wasn't in a ponytail, it was just down, nothing fancy. My hair was dark brown, and went down just below my shoulders.

I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. It was looser than the one I had in earlier; I always needed my hair out of my face for workouts.

"Headband?" my mom offered.

"Sure," I replied, just to make her happy. My mom liked to get really dressed up. I, obviously, didn't.

I allowed my mom to slip a black, shiny headband onto my head.

"Makeup?" she said.

"Absolutely not," was my answer.

"Okay," my mom said. "If you say so."

"Let's go," I said, pulling her out of my room.

My watch said it was already 11:00. We would need to hurry up. I half ran down the hallway to say goodbye to my dad.

"Sweetie, you look beautiful!" he said, looking me up and down.

"Thanks dad! I'm going out to the Reaping now! Bye!" I said, giving him a hug.

"Good luck!" He said, with a wink.

I turned around to face my mom.

"Bye mom," I said, giving her a hug too.

"Good luck, Amaya! I love you!" was her reply.

I grabbed a donut, and ran out the door. I joined a bunch of excited people that were also headed to the Reaping. Everybody was chattering excitedly about what the Quarter Quell might be this year, and asking their friends whether or not they should volunteer. I couldn't help but feel excited with them; I _really_ wanted to be chosen.

I joined the section of 17 year old girls in front of the stage at the Justice Building. A lot of them were decked out in gobs of makeup, or wearing dresses made out of diamonds. Rolling my eyes at their taste in clothes, I waited excitedly until the video started. It was the same video they played every year; the one about Panem and why the Hunger Games was created. It was really boring, but I loved it.

After the video ended, our escort, Anastasia, walked out onto the stage. She was wearing a bright pink dress, loads of makeup, a light blue wig, and 10 inch heels. Her style looked a lot like those of the girls that were standing around me.

"Hello, hello! Hello everyone!" She said in her weird Capitol accent. "This year we have a Quarter Quell! Yes, and we have a special set of tributes!"

Anastasia pulled out a cream colored envelope with a red Capitol Seal stamped on it. She opened it up, and slowly read it, a smile growing on her face with each word she read. _You're killing me Anastasia! What is it?!_

"Oooh! This year we have all ladies as our tributes!" She said dramatically.

Disappointed sighs came from the 17 and 18 year old boys section, and all of the girls around me began to whisper excitedly.

"Let's get on with the Reaping!" Anastasia announced, obviously very excited.

She ran as fast as she could in her heels over to the glass bowl that contained only girls' names. I guess the one that had all the boys' names in it wouldn't be used this year.

"Blair Xanthe!" She announced.

The crowd parted and an 18 year old girl in a purple dress practically sprinted up onto the stage. _What an eager beaver,_ I thought.

"Isn't she excited?" Anastasia joked to the crowd. "Any volun-"

"No! No one volunteer!" Blair shouted to the crowd, before anyone could.

"Yes. Eager too," Anastasia said. "Now for the other tribute!"

_Please be me, please be me, please be me_, I prayed.

"Amaya Aergader!"

I smiled and walked up to the stage calmly. I felt like running, like Blair had, but I, unlike her, knew how to control my emotions. You could be targeted if you looked too eager. But still, I couldn't believe my luck. _I had actually been chosen!_ I had been hoping for this moment my entire life!

I went on to the stage and shook hands with Blair. She had blue eyes, was slightly taller than me, was very muscly, and had long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She had makeup on, but it was an amount that didn't make me gag.

"Any volunteers?" Anastasia asked.

I felt like shouting out to the crowd like Blair had, but I held it in. I just squeezed my eyes shut and hoped with all my heart that no one would volunteer. Silence. I opened one eye slightly and saw the crowd not moving. There were no volunteers!

There was a big smile on my face as Anastasia announced, "May I present to you, District 2 Quarter Quell representatives, Blair Xanthe and Amaya Aergader!"

The Reaping was over. I was going to the Games. My dream had come true.


	3. Chapter 3 District 3

**Razi's POV**

**-District 3-**

My "silent" alarm clock went off, waking me up. The noise it made was really just a super high pitched frequency that only kids could hear. Since I was an only child, it made sense for me to use it as an alarm clock; especially for when I wanted to sneak out, like I was going to today.

I didn't bother to change out of my pajamas; they were just sweat pants and a blue t-shirt. However, I did pull on a pair of tennis shoes. I would need them to sneak out with.

Quietly, I snuck out of my room and down the hallway. I crept inside my dad's room, and went over to his closet door. My dad could sleep through a tornado, but I still had to be careful. On the inside of the closet door was a keypad, which controlled the advanced alarms that had been set throughout my house. Once my dad had figured out that I was sneaking out, he had set alarms on every door in window in the house. It also helped with some of the burglaries that had been going on in our neighborhood.

Quickly, I punched in the code "3150", which was my birthday, backwards. I had rewired the sensor set in my window, to respond to both my dad's code and to mine. I also had had to sneak in here once, to rewire it from the other side. Now I could sneak out whenever I wanted, without my dad knowing.

I crept back out of the room and went back into mine. I was in the middle of climbing out my window when I noticed the lights were still on in my room. _Shoot. _I pressed a button in my watch, and whispered, "Lights off" into it. My room went dark. I smiled and climbed all the way out.

Sparks was waiting for me at our usual meeting spot. We met in the alley behind her parents' electronics store, every time we wanted to talk privately. Sparks had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. Her real name was Athena, but she hated it so much that I had come up with the name Sparks for her, which we both liked much better.

"Hey Sparks," I said, greeting her.

"Careful," she said, "Don't get too close to the door; my parents put in this old thing that was used in the 21st century to keep dogs in yards. I think it's called an electric fence, and it will shock you if you get too close to it."

"Harsh," I whispered.

Sparks smiled. "What do you think is going to happen this year?" she asked, with a scared look on her face.

"I don't know," I replied. This year was a Quarter Quell, and who knew what would happen. "What will you do if you get Reaped?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "If either of us is Reaped, we're smart enough to win. We're both smarter than three quarters of the people in Panem."

I gave her a small smile. It was true, but I still didn't want to have to put my smarts to the test.

"Promise me this." I said to her. "If one of us is Reaped, no matter what happens, we'll still be best friends. Forever."

She stuck out her pinky, and I linked mine to hers. "Friends forever," we said in unison.

We hugged quickly, and then went our separate ways back to our homes, before her parents or my dad could figure out that we had snuck out. We did this every year before the Reaping. The hardest part was leaving each other, for we knew that it could be the last time we ever saw each other ever again. We had learned to do it quickly though; slow good byes were harder to go through with.

As I was walking home, I couldn't help but think about all the sad things that had happened in my life. Sometimes it was better to acknowledge those things, and know that they were there. Doing this was another annual thing I did, on the day of the Reaping.

The first thing I thought of was the day I failed my history class. I had refused to write about the Hunger Games in my essay at school, and they failed me for it. Then I thought of the day I made the honor roll at my school. I liked to counter each bad thing with a good thing.

The second thing I thought of was the day my friend, Elizabeth had been Reaped. She had died in the Arena, during the Bloodbath. I had sobbed for days after watching her be murdered. To counter this bad thought, I thought about how lucky I was to have Sparks, and how good of a friend she was.

The last thing I thought about was my mom dying. She died when I was 10. Her job involved experimenting with electricity. Every time there was a storm, she would go outside and test the lightning, and use its electrical charges to create electronics for Sparks's parents' store. One day, the lightning had struck her instead of the pole. She died instantly.

I wiped a tear that was rolling down my cheek as I thought of this. Quickly, I countered my thought with the fact that dad was still here, taking care of me. This was my final thought, for I was at my house now.

I climbed up the side of my house, and crawled in through the window. Everything was dark, and I tripped over my radio. Muttering curses under my breath, I fumbled with my watch and whispered "Lights on" into it. The lights turned on, blinding me momentarily. I glanced at my watch again. 6:47.

I pulled off my tennis shoes and crawled back into bed, as a wave of sleep washed over me…

My dad shook me out of my dreamless sleep.

"Wake up, Razz," he said, using my nickname, and shaking my shoulder gently.

"Wha-what time is it dad?" I said, yawning sleepily.

"9:00. You need to get up and get ready for the Reaping," he said softly.

"Ok, just give me a minute," I told him.

"I'll go get breakfast ready," he said, walking out of the room.

I sat up in bed slowly, and stretched. Everything looked a little fuzzy through my morning eyes. It was weird; whenever I woke up earlier, I was less tired than I felt on a morning I slept in on.

Getting out of bed, I yawned again. Yikes, I was tired. I walked downstairs, and the scent of burnt toast greeted me.

"Ugh dad, did you burn the toast again?" I said.

My dad had been working on this "ultra-fast toaster" for months now. It was supposed to toast your bread perfectly in just 3 seconds. It could toast bread fast, but it usually over-toasted it.

"Yes," he said with a sheepish grin. "How about a waffle instead?"

"No that's fine, I'm beginning to like burnt toast," I said with a smile.

My dad smiled and handed me 2 pieces of burnt toast on a plate. I went into our refrigerator and got out a jar of jam. I noticed my dad  
watching me as I spread it on to my toast. His eyes had big bags underneath them, and didn't contain the usual sparkle. His hair was even messier than usual. I could tell he had a rough night last night, with the Reaping and all happening today. At least he was sound asleep for when I was in his room.

"Sleep well last night?" I asked conversationally.

"Oh, yeah," he lied.

I raised my eyebrows at him as I bit into my toast.

"Ok, fine, maybe I didn't." He admitted. "You know I never sleep well the night before the Reaping. And when I am asleep, all I have are nightmares of you going into the Games."

I'd never heard that last part before. It was understandable though. It wasn't like I had wonderful dreams last night either.

I finished up my last bit of toast, and licked the remaining jam off my fingers. It was time to go get dressed for the Reaping.

"I'm going upstairs to get ready now," I said to my dad.

"Wait!" my dad said, "There's a certain dress I want you to wear."

I raised my eyebrows at him for the second time this morning, as he ran off to his room. A few minutes later, he came back with a blue dress. It looked about knee length, and it was strapless. The dress consisted of two layers; the one on the bottom was a light, solid blue, and the one on top was dark blue, and made out of lace. You could see the bottom layer through the lace, so it made a very pretty contrast of blues.

"Where did this come from?" I asked my dad.

"Your mom wore this on her 4th Reaping," my dad replied.

"Will it fit?" I asked skeptically.

"Try it on and see!" He said.

I went into my room and put it on. It fit perfectly. The light, bright blue of the bottom layer was the exact same shade of blue as my eyes were. I twirled around in the dress, and watched the skirt fly up and float around with me. I stopped and smiled. I put on a pair of black high heels; black went with any color.

"Duh, duh duh duuuh!" I hummed, as I came out of my room.

"You look beautiful Razz!" My dad said. "And nice touch with the old bridal music," he added on with a grin.

"Thanks dad." I said, smiling.

I went back up into my room to do my hair. Since my brown, curly hair was so short, I couldn't put it up into a ponytail or bun. I decided to french braid a section of hair near my face, and pin it back to my head.

I went back downstairs. My dad was holding a light blue ribbon in his hands. Ordering me to turn around, he gently tied it around my waist. He spun me back around and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I love you Razi," he said, too serious to use the usual nickname. "If you're chosen remember that. Don't go down without a fight. Razzle dazzle them, Razz!"

I smiled, gave him another hug, and then left for the Reaping.

I arrived about 45 minutes early, just like they want you to. I've always wondered _why_ you have to get there so early. Probably so they can prick your finger, and just to make you more nervous.

I went straight to the finger pricking line, and let the Peacekeeper prick my finger. I sucked on the blood that was oozing out of my cut, as I went over to stand in the 16 year old section. In the next half an hour, just about everybody had arrived.

I stared at the stage for the last 15 minutes, waiting in fear. _Would I be picked? What should I do if I am?_

All of a sudden the video started up. I jumped at the sudden blaring of the Capitol "theme song" as I called it. Facing the screen, I watched the same boring video they played every year; the one about the United States of America, how it fell apart, and how Panem rose out of its ashes.

The Mayor then proceeded to read us the Treaty of Treason, which explained to us about why we had the Hunger Games. I was half-listening during the whole speech. I spent most of my time staring at the Mayor's overly large adams apple, which bobbed up and down more than most people's.

A loud thumping noise brought me back down to earth. I strained my neck to see what had happened, and saw a flustered looking Livia Mercier pick up her shoe. Livia Mercier was our escort, and apparently her shoe had fallen off. I snorted, which got me a dirty look from the nearest Peacekeeper.

"Hello, District 3!" This year we have a Quarter Quell! Very special!" Livia Mercier announced, trying to cover up for her moment of embarrassment.

She then took out a large envelope with a Capitol Seal on it. "Let's see," she said, tearing open the envelope faster than I could have imagined possible. An interested expression grew on her face as she read the contents of the letter that the envelope had contained.

"Oh! It seems this year we have all ladies as our tributes!" She said, in her funny Capitol accent.

Murmurs erupted throughout the crowd; some relieved, some nervous. Everybody fell silent as soon as the Peacekeepers gave us threatening looks though.

"Let's get on with it!" Livia squealed.

She practically _skipped _over to the bowl containing the girls' names, and stuffed her hand into it. She mixed around the slips of paper, and finally took one out.

I inhaled sharply as Livia took in a breath to announce the name.

"Razi Capala!"

My jaw dropped. It couldn't be me; there must've been some mistake. But then why was everybody looking at me? I closed my mouth, and tightened my jaw grimly. Stiffly, I walked up and on to the stage.

"Ooh, you look like a smart one!" Livia said, giggling into the microphone.

I felt like slapping her, but I controlled myself, and turned out to face the crowd. My dad looked horror stricken, on the verge of tears. Sparks was one step ahead of him, bawling her eyes out. I had to look away quickly before I would break down and cry myself.

"Any volunteers?" Livia asked.

You could've heard a pin drop.

Livia sighed at the non-excitement of our Reaping as she walked back over to the glass bowl with the girls' names in it.

"Pixel Pettigilo!" she announced, as she pulled out the second and final slip of paper. I saw a 15 year old girl with cropped black hair and a silver dress on step out of the crowd. She looked slightly shocked at being chosen. I couldn't blame her.

"Nice…hair you have," Livia complimented her as she got on to the stage.

I rolled my eyes; why did Livia have to make some comment on every tribute?

"Any volunteers?"

Silence.

"District 3 Quarter Quell representatives, Razi Capala and Pixel Pettigilo!" Livia announced as we shook hands.

Pixel gave me a nervous smile. I gave her one in return. She was slightly shorter than me, but we'd probably be about the same height once I took my heels off. She had the same sharpness in her eyes that I did. _We could make a good team in the Arena_, I thought.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" Livia said cheerily, as she walked off stage.

_…"We're both smarter than three quarters of the people in Panem"…_ _"I love you Razi. If you're chosen remember that. Don't go down without a fight. Razzle dazzle them, Razz!"…_ _"If one of us is Reaped, no matter what happens, we'll still be best friends. Forever."_

All of these thoughts ran through my head, as I stood there on the stage, looking out into the crowd. Sparks and my dad had inspired me; inspired me to win.

_I could do this. I could win the Games._


	4. Chapter 4 Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

As much as I wish I did, I _**DO NOT**_ own the Hunger Games.

That means don't go around telling your friends that I own it. Cuz I don't.

Then I'd get in trouble with the FBI, or whoever takes care of Copyright problems.

Believe me, you do not want that to happen.

On the bright side though, I do own all of the amazing characters in my chapters! Except for Haymitch, Katniss, Peeta, Effie, and possibly a few other people mentioned in my last chapter. Or anybody else you recognize in ANY chapter. Those still belong to Suzanne Collins :(

Oh yeah, in each chapter the other person that was Reaped is my friend, _KatnissTheGirlOnFire19 _'s, character. Please read her own Tributes' POV's during the Reapings too.

Oh yeah, and PLEASE REVIEW!

Thanks!

_-ArianaWeasly_


	5. Chapter 5 District 5

_Author's Note:_

_For the people out there that haven't been paying attention, yes, I skipped the Reaping for District 4. That's because the Reaping for District 4 is already in my story, TWINS. If you haven't read it yet, check out KatnissTheGirlWhoWasOnFire19 's profile page, because that's where it is._

_-ArianaWeasly_

_p.s. is it just me or is the font size bigger than it should be? maybe it's just because I'm using a tiny computer that I don't usually use..._

**Kerri's POV**

**-District 5-**

"Wake up, Kerri."

"But I don't waaaaaant to," I grumbled into my pillow.

A hand flashed in front of my face, and all of a sudden my cheek was stinging.

"What did you slap me for?" I said angrily.

"You need to get up!"

I moaned and opened my eyes. My twin sister, Karen, was looming over me. We both had identical black hair, the same pointed chin, and the same sharp, serious look in our identical black eyes. Just because we looked the same, didn't mean we acted the same though. Karen had always been a morning person; I was the night owl. I had always been more athletic than Karen, and she had always been the super girly makeup lover. She was pretty good at slapping though.

I rubbed my cheek, which was probably bright red by now.

"It's Reaping day. Get up," Karen said miserably.

I sighed. Today was the day of the Reaping. It was a Quarter Quell. I wonder what the Capitol had in store for us this time. I know that at the last Quarter Quell, the tributes that were Reaped were people that had already won the Games. I know it's horrible, but I wished for something like that to happen this year, so I wouldn't have to be Reaped.

"I'll go make breakfast," Karen said, getting me out of my stupor.

I loved eating; especially healthy food. It made you strong, and I needed that.

The floor was really cold, I noticed as I stepped onto the floor. Our house, if you could call it that, had no heating or cooling in it. It was a 2 bedroom house, with the only other rooms being a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. I liked to call it our "shack".

Karen and I lived by ourselves. This was our 2nd year in this house. Our parents had been killed in a factory explosion when we were 8. It was the same factory explosion that had killed hundreds of other kids' parents. After the explosion, Karen and I had lived with our aunt. Once we were 16, we were allowed to get our own house, and get away from our aunt. It wasn't that we didn't love her; it was just that she had 6 kids, and we were always babysitting them. She probably also got fed up with us herself.

I thought about all of this as I walked into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, yawning.

"Omelets," Karen said with a smile.

"Yum!" I said, smiling back.

We only got to have omelets twice a year, and they were my favorite.

"One or two?" Karen asked as she shook two omelets on to my plate. She always asked that as a joke; I never ate just one omelet.

I smiled and dug in to my omelet, which was filled with gooey cheese.

"So, this is our last year," I said to Karen.

"Yes," she said smiling. "If either of us isn't picked, then we'll be safe!"

We fell silent as we both daydreamed about our possible safety. We continued to stay silent as we gobbled down our omelets. We finished eating at the exact same time, as usual. I looked at Karen and laughed. Even after years of us doing things the exact same way, it was still amazing to see what could happen.

"So," I said, pushing my plate away from me. "What are you wearing for the Reaping this year?"

"I was thinking of wearing my gold dress, with matching gold eye liner. I don't want to go too overboard on the makeup this year," she answered.

I laughed, remembering last year. On that Reaping day, Karen had worn so much makeup you couldn't even see her face!

"What about lip gloss? You can't have an outfit without lip gloss," I joked.

"Hmm…" Karen said, pursing her lips. I couldn't believe she had actually taken me seriously. "I might wear a little bit of pink gloss."

I laughed again, getting me a glare from Karen.

"And what will _you_ be wearing?" she challenged.

"I was thinking about wearing the silvery dress," I said.

Karen gave me a surprised look. "You're actually going to look…girly?" she asked.

"Yes, I can be girly if I want to," I retorted.

I could tell Karen was silently celebrating.

"Well let's get ready!" she squealed, grabbing my hand and pulling me into her room.

I had to sit there and watch her get ready. The gold dress she was wearing was a very shimmery, metallic, gold. It had thin straps, and flowed all the way down to her ankles. She put on a pair of matching gold flats to go with it. She left her hair down, as she usually did. After putting on her makeup, she dragged me into my room.

"Your turn!" she said, way too excited.

I rolled my eyes and went into my closet. As I pulled out the silver dress, Karen squealed a little. Rolling my eyes again, I put it on. The dress was the exact same as Karen's, except it was silver. I didn't say so, but I thought it looked a little better on me than it did on her, because of my athletic build.

To Karen's disappointment, I put on a pair of silver sandals instead of flats.

"I thought we were going to be twinsies!" she said, with a fake pout.

Laughing, I replied, "Aren't we already?"

Karen laughed with me and spun me around, to do my hair. Even though she hated having her own hair done up, she loved to do up other peoples' hair up. She ended up doing a French braid on me, which looked really pretty with my hair. It also shrunk my butt-length hair by a few inches, which I was grateful for. I hadn't gotten around to cutting my hair in a while.

"You look great!" she said, spinning me back around to face her. "Makeup?"

"No," I said. I didn't want to get that girly.

"Just an eensie weensie bit of lip gloss?" she asked.

"Fine," I grumbled.

I sat there as Karen brushed some shimmery gloss on to my lips.

"Pucker up!" she told me.

I put my lips together, and struck a pose.

"Wonderful," she said, laughing.

"What time is it?" I asked suddenly.

"10:30," Karen replied after glancing at her watch.

"We'd better hurry up," I said.

"I want to give you a token first, just in case you're reaped," she said shyly.

Karen went into her room, and came back out with two silver lockets.

"Turn around," she said.

She put the necklace on me, and I put hers on her neck.

I looked down at it. It was a heart locket, engraved with the letter "K". Inside were two pictures; a picture of our parents on one side, and a picture of us on the other side.

"I love it," I said, softly.

I gave her a hug. We were still hugging 5 minutes later, imagining the horrors of what might happen this year. We finally broke apart.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," we both said at the same time. We laughed in surprise. No one could ever argue that we weren't twins.

"We should go now," I said softly.

Silently, we walked out of the door and to the Justice Building. We stood in line, and waited for our fingers to get pricked. When it was my turn, the Peacekeeper said "Karen Zitkus?"

"No," I snapped, "She is. Can't you tell the difference?"

The Peacekeeper glared at me and pricked Karen's finger first, then mine.

We walked away sucking on our fingers, like half the other people here did. Silently, we walked up in front of the stage and stood in the 18 year old girls section.

The Reaping began with a video. It was the one they played every year that explained about the US, how it had crumbled, and how Panem had started. It also explained about why we had the Hunger Games.

The second the film finished, Hewlett Crowne trotted on to the stage. Hewlett Crowne was our escort, and she was definitely a Capitol person. This year, she had yellow skin, thank god. Last year it was rainbow. And sparkly.

"Hello everyone! This year is a Quarter Quell, a very special year!" She said with an overly large smile on her face. "Let's see what it is going to be!"

She pulled an envelope out of the sleeve of her dress_. I wonder what other tricks she has up her sleeve_, I thought. I silently giggled at my pun. I looked over at Karen and noticed that she had the same expression on her face that I did. She must've had the same thought. We were so weird.

I must've missed Hewlett reading the contents of the envelope, for she suddenly announced, "This year we'll all have ladies as our tributes!"

I looked over at Karen again, and I noticed that we had the same horrified expression on our face. It was possible that we could both be Reaped. Even if that didn't happen, it increased the chances of one of us being Reaped.

Before I could bat an eye, Hewlett was over at the glass bowl that contained the girls' names. She reached into the bowl and mixed up the slips. She finally pulled one out.

"Kerri Zitkus!"

My heart stopped beating for a few seconds. It was me. I was about to walk up on stage when I noticed Karen trying to walk up there. _She was trying to pretend to be me. She was about to go the Games for me._ I couldn't let her do that.

I ran to her, and shoved her back to where she had been standing.

"Stay there," I hissed. "I'll be fine. You don't need to go for me. Don't even think about trying to volunteer for me. I love you," I finished, my voice softening.

Karen nodded, as her eyes filled with tears.

I threw back my shoulders and walked up on to the stage.

"Any volunteers?" Hewlett asked.

I threw Karen a warning glance. She and the rest of the crowd stayed silent.

Hewlett walked back over to the bowl, mixed up the names again, and drew out the second slip.

"Scarlett Silvers!"

The crowd parted and a girl from the 16 year old section walked up on to the stage. She had reddish hair, brown eyes, and was about my height. She looked very sly. She also looked stunned that she was chosen.

"Come on dear!" Hewlett said impatiently, wanting Scarlett to get on stage faster.

Scarlett came on to the stage and shook hands with me. I made sure to grip her hand tightly. I had to show her I wasn't scared. Weirdly enough, I actually wasn't. Scarlett herself looked a little scared though.

"Any volunteers?"

Nobody moved or said a word.

"District 5 Quarter Quell representatives, Kerri Zitkus and Scarlett Silvers!" Hewlett announced.

I stood there, staring out into the crowd. I was going into the Games. I was going to win, for Karen, and for my dead parents. I was going to win for District 5. I was going to win…if I could.


	6. Chapter 6 District 6

_Okay, so don't get mad, but…I forgot what happens in District 6. By that I mean, do they farm? Are the good with electronics? Are they coal miners? I honestly have no idea. So here's what I kind of made up for them…I feel like they should have southern accents, haha. I hope you enjoy it! Please review!_

_-ArianaWeasly_

_p.s. I just noticed a huge mistake on my part. This whole time, I've been calling the person who I co-write the story TWINS with KatnissTheGirlWhoWasOnFire19 . Turns out, her username is actually __**KatnissTheGirlOnFire19. **__Sorry if I caused you any confusion. I went back and fixed it in my summary, author's note, and profile page though, so it should be good. PM me if you have any questions/comments!_

**Hesper's POV**

**-District 6-**

_I'm in a field, covered in daisies. I run around in the sunshine, grabbing as many as I can. I just feel so…happy here! I could almost fly with all of the joy that's filling me up. I take a running start, and jump into the air…_

"OOF!" I grunt as I hit the ground.

I groan and roll onto my back. There are grass stains on the knees of my pajamas. Shoot. Did I sleep walk _again_? I look around and notice that I'm in the meadow. Again. Ever since I was 10, I've slept walked almost every night. I also come to this meadow almost every time.

Usually though, I sleep walk back home. This is only the 3rd time I've actually woken up in the meadow. It really is pretty though, in the sunshine. I wonder what time it is. After looking around, I slap my forehead. I can use the sun to tell time. After a quick glance at the sun, I realize that it's about 8:00. Wow, with brains like this I would not survive the first night in the Arena.

That reminds me; today is the day of the Reaping. It's also a Quarter Quell this year, which means that the Arena will be extra special. I find myself wishing I could just stay in this meadow forever, and not have to worry about the Reaping. It's just so peaceful and happy here.

I sigh though, knowing that I'll be severely punished if I don't show up to the Reaping. They might even turn me into an Avox! That would fit me well though, with my red hair and all. For some reason, it seems like most Avoxes have red hair. _Us tricky redheads_, I think to myself with a smile.

With a second sigh, I pick up the daisies that I picked in my sleep. I begin to head home. Even though it's the day of the Reaping, I shouldn't be upset. I think of all the happy things in life, like rainbows, meadows, and bunnies. Those are my three favorite things. I tuck some of the daisies behind my ear and begin to skip home, happily.

The dirt road is _long._ It's weird how I can make it to the meadow and back in just one night, not to mention I'm doing it while I'm sleeping. It is nice though, I don't have to exercise much during the day since I'm getting so much exercise at night. This thought makes me even happier, and I begin to hum quietly. I finally make it to my house.

"Mama? Dad? I'm home!" I call through the screen door.

Mama runs up to the door and scoops me up into a big hug.

"Thank goodness you're home! Your father and I were worried that you had tried to sneak away before the Reaping! No? Were you sleep walking again?" Mama said all in one breath.

"Relax mama," I said happily, "I was just sleep walking. I went to the meadow again. I brought you back these!"

I hand the daises to mama.

"Thank you!" she says, as she hurries off to put them in a vase.

"Hesper!" My dad says, running into the room. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm fine dad. Honestly, you and mom shouldn't worry so much. Just be happy!" I reply.

My dad smiled. "How about some breakfast?" he asked.

"That sounds wonderful."

I start to hum again as I grab a broom and sweep the kitchen. There's flour all over the floor. That could only mean one thing…

"Jenny, have you been cooking again?" I holler into the house.

My younger sister Jenny appears in the doorway with a sheepish grin on her face.

"Have you?" I repeat.

Jenny nodded.

"You need to just sit back and let Mama cook sometime!" I scold her.

Jenny is 12, and possibly the worst cook in the world. Even Danny, my 8 year old little brother can cook better than her. I shouldn't be too hard on her though, because this is her first Reaping today.

"Go clean yourself up for the Reaping!" I tell her as I finish up my sweeping.

Jenny scampers away, and Danny comes into the room.

"What's for breakfast?" he whines. "Is it donuts?"

Danny had a donut once, when he was 5. Ever since then, he's whined for a donut at least three times a day. We finally had to explain to him that we don't have enough money for another donut, and that that was a special birthday treat from Auntie Sue. Auntie Sue was kind of rich, and she was always buying treats for us. She died last year though.

However, did that stop Danny's whining? Obviously not.

"No you cannot have a donut, have a waffle!" I say to him, as he sits down at the kitchen table.

My dad finished up making the waffles, and set a large plate in the middle of the table. At least 20 waffles were piled on top of it.

"Come and eat!" he shouted into the house.

Jenny and Mama came in a flash.

"I got some syrup," Mama said, holding up a large jug.

We all cheered and sat down. Each of us got to soak our waffles in syrup before eating them. It was such a treat.

"Yum," I mumbled through a mouthful of waffle.

We all finished our food in record time.

"Okay kids," dad began. "Today is a Reaping day. Both Hesper and Jenny have a couple of names in the Reaping bowl. We just want you guys to know that we love you no matter what, and we'll be cheering you on if you are Reaped. It might be sad, but remember to stay positive. I know that either of you guys could win the Games," my dad finished with a beam.

We all cheered for his speech.

"Now go get ready!" Mama said.

We all raced up the stairs. Danny ran into his room to get ready, and Jenny and I went into our room. As Jenny was pulling on her dress, she spoke up.

"What will you do if you're Reaped? And what about if you are in the Arena? I don't have the guts to kill anybody, and I know you don't either," she whispered.

I went over and hugged Jenny.

"You'll just have to do your best, Jen. If you don't kill anybody, it means that you will die. If you can accept that, like I can, you won't care what happens. Why do you think I'm always so happy? It's because I need to live my life while I can, and make the best of what I have, so when the time comes, I can die without any regrets," I whisper to her.

Jenny gave me a small smile and continued to get ready.

I went over to my closet and pulled out a green dress. It was a little paler than the bright color of my eyes, but it was still green. It was sleeveless, and had a low neckline. There was a ribbon around the waist that was a green slightly darker than the green of the dress. The dress went down to my knees.

I put on a pair of green flats to go with it. My red hair was long, and super curly. After about 10 minutes of brushing, it finally got untangled. I left it down, not wanting it to get snarly again. It was a lot smoother and shinier than usual. Finally, I brushed some powder onto my face, to hide my freckles. I hated my freckles.

"Are you ready?" I asked Jenny.

"Yes," she said in a quivery voice. Clearing her throat, she said "Yes," again, this time in a much stronger voice.

Good, it looks like my speech had some effect on her after all. I'm glad my words aren't useless. I loved writing in fact, especially poems. I was pretty good at poetry too, at least for a girl who had gone to a small school.

Jenny and I headed downstairs, where we met Danny, mama, and dad. They had all gotten ready in at least half the time we had. I decided not to mention this, knowing that it would be met with disparaging remark from mama.

"Ready to go?" My mom asked.

A chorus of scared "Uhuh"s and "Yeah"s answered her.

"All right," she said, clapping her hands, "Let's go!"

We walked outside, and the sun beat down on our necks. The sun, and the fact of how nervous I was made me decide to recite some of my poetry.

_"The sun shines brightly down_

_How could that make you frown?_

_Why is your face filled with fright,_

_As the day turns into night?_

_Are you scared of the promise of light,_

_As the day turns into night?_

_In the dark the moon glows in the black,_

_Are you afraid of the things that might attack?_

_Are you scared you'll have to pay,_

_As the night turns into day?_

_Are you mad at the sun's rays,_

_As the night turns into day?_

_Why does the light from space_

_Cause such anguish on your face?"_

"More of your poetry?" I voice next to me said, causing me to jump.

I looked over, and saw my best friend, Adam, walking right next to me.

"When did you get here?!" I asked, surprised.

"What do you mean by 'get here'?" he asked with a laugh. "I saw you walking ahead of me on the road, and I decided to catch up with you. I arrived just in time to hear your poem."

"Oh. Well…was it good?" I asked, blushing.

"Wonderful," he said. I searched his face for any trace of a lie, but it was all open honesty.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Adam said, noticing me staring at his face. "Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Do I look okay?"

"No, you look great," I said.

He did too, his dark brown hair was neater than usual, his face smooth and unmarked, and his brown eyes like pools of dark chocola-

"Hesp, you're staring again," he said, shaking me out of my thoughts. "Are you _sure_ there's nothing in my teeth?"

I blushed again. "No, like I said, you look great. How do I look?"

I twirled around for him a bit, and then stumbled. It was hard to spin while walking.

"How do I look?" I repeated.

"Like a Christmas tree that doesn't know how to spin," Adam replied with a grin.

I laughed, and punched his shoulder. "Come on, how can you joke on a day like today?"

"I'm not joking, see? The dress is the tree, your arms are the branches, your legs are the stump, and your red hair is the ornaments!"

I punched his shoulder as he laughed.

"Besides," he continued in a quiet voice, "How can you be so happy on a day like today?"

"You know me, I'm always happy," I said uneasily.

"Really, how can you?" he asked.

I stopped, and he stopped with me. Staring into his eyes, I said, "I told Jenny this earlier, but I'm going to say it again. I'm happy because I've lived life with no regrets so far. I've been happy every single day of my life, knowing that if I was chosen I would die. There's no way I'd survive the Games if I was Reaped, and you know it. Because of that, I've decided that if the time comes, I'm ready to die."

"Wow," Adam breathed. "Wow…you're much braver than I could ever be."

I smiled and said nothing, as we continued to walk down the dirt road. After all of our playing around and talking, my family had managed to get really far ahead of us. They were now just small specks in the distance. I counted 7 specks; that must mean that Adam's family was up there too.

"Race you to our parents!" I challenged him before running off.

"Hey, you got a head start!" Adam shouted after me, before running himself.

Adam, being all muscly and athletic, caught up to my un-athletic self with ease.

"You run slowly," he said.

"Hey, I'm wearing flats," I said, pointing at my feet.

"We'll never catch up to them with those," he said. "Get on my back."

I gave him a funny look.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" he said with a grin.

"Okay," I said, jumping onto his back, piggyback style.

All of a sudden we were off, Adam sprinting as fast as he could.

"Giddyap!" I shouted, digging my heels into his ribs.

Adam laughed, and sped up even more. He could run so fast it was like riding a real horse. The trees went by in blurs, and the wind blew my hair back. Now that I thought about it, my hair would probably look like a rats nest after this.

We finally caught up to our families, Adam out of breath from the sprint, and me out of breath from laughing so much. They all gave us funny looks, but then resumed their conversation which, ironically, was about horses. Adam and I just walked the rest of the way without speaking.

We finally made it into the suburbs, which were where most people in District 6 lived. The suburbs were right outside the city. We walked past all of the houses, crossed the train tracks, and then got into the city. The sidewalks were crowded with people all heading towards the Justice Building. We joined the crowd, and made our way to the line for finger pricking. This was where our families said goodbye to us, as they left to go stand in their designated spot. Adam and I stood in the line for what seemed like forever. Finally, it was mine turn.

The Peacekeeper roughly grabbed my hand and stabbed it with the needle. I rubbed the blood that was slowly seeping out of it onto a piece of paper. Then I stepped away, and watched Adam get his finger pricked. We both walked quietly, sucking on our fingers.

Finally, I took my finger out of my mouth. I could feel some blood on my lips from it. "Good luck," I said, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. The blood on my lips left a mark on his cheek. People around us looked at us kind of funnily. I ignored them; I loved Adam as a brother, not in any other way.

"You too," he said, giving me a sad look.

We hugged, and then walked our separate ways. I stood in the 14 year old girls section, and he in the 14 year old boys section. About half an hour later, the Reaping began. It began with a film. The film itself was boring, but I loved the pictures of the United States ruins. Don't get me wrong, I was sad that the United States had crumbled, but there was just something so…peaceful about the way the land looked. If you didn't look at the rubble, all of the grass and land seemed to go on forever, undisturbed. It looked like freedom.

The video ended with a playing of the Capitol's anthem, and the flash of their seal. After that, our mayor came out and read us the Treaty of Treason. The Treaty of Treason explained about the war and about why we have to Hunger Games. It always bugged me when the mayor read it, because he always said "The United States of America" like it was the most disgusting thing he could imagine.

The mayor walked off the stage and our escort, Julius Grassi, came on to the stage. He looked very weird, as all Capitol people do. The only thing I liked about the Capitol people's style was the colors. The bright colors that they were decked out in looked so cheery, and fun. This year, his skin was sky blue. His suit, wig, and shoes were all matching shades of mint green. I've always wondered why the Capitol people wear wigs; why don't they just dye their hair? One of the many mysteries of life I guess.

"Hello, hello everyone!" He said, greeting us. "This year we have a Quarter Quell!"

A few people groaned quietly at this. Julius ignored them, and pompously took out an envelope. Tugging off the red wax Captiol Seal, he opened up the envelope and took out a letter.

"This year…" he began, as he read the letter. "We'll have only ladies as our tributes!"

Everyone began to whisper, excited and scared by this year's Quarter Quell. As soon as Julius began to walk over to the glass bowl with the girls' names though, everybody was quiet. He mixed around the hundreds of tiny slips, and finally took one out.

I wished with all my might that it wouldn't be me. I knew how to handle it if it was me, I wasn't afraid. I still didn't want to be reaped though.

"Hesper Lisbon!"

It was me.

I smiled, and walked up on to the stage.

"What a happy girl you are!" Julius commented, noticing my smile.

I smiled even bigger in reply.

"Let's get on with the Reaping!" Julius continued. By now he knew better than to ask for volunteers; in the unlikely situation that somebody would volunteer, they would know how to speak up for themselves.

I stared out into the crowd, looking at Adam's face. He had a shocked look on his face. My parents had sad looks on their faces, but they also gave me looks that said _you can do this_. We both knew I couldn't, but it's always best to give positive reinforcement in these situations. Danny was quietly crying, and when I looked over at Jenny, I saw that she was too. She knew that I was going to die, just as I did.

"Liz Levan!" Julius announced.

I had missed his big show of picking out the second slip of paper. I saw a girl from the 16 year old section come forward on to the stage. She had straight brown hair, and a light blue dress on. She looked terrified.

We shook hands as she arrived on stage. In her eyes I saw even more fear and terror than I had from a distance. Even though I was trying to hide it, there must've been some in my eyes too, for Liz gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. I gave her one back.

"District 6 Quarter Quell Representatives, Hesper Lisbon and Liz Levan!" Julius said.

As I stared out into the crowd, the reality hit me. I was going to die. I had seen this coming, but you don't know how real it is until you're actually standing there, about to die. However, I wasn't too scared to die. I was just scared of how it would happen.

I was almost happy to die. I just wanted to get out of this world that was held up by terror and fear. I wanted to live in a land of freedom, like the United States. I wanted to live in those vast fields they showed in the film. I wanted to die, and go there.

_Love it? Hate it? Did you like my poem? I was kind of unsure about whether or not I should use it. Tell me in a review!_

_-ArianaWeasly_


	7. Chapter 7 Author's Note

Hey guys, i just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I can't upload regularly.

School has started, and I have been loaded with homework, and not much free time to write in.

Since I won't be updating often, please follow my story if you like it so you can get the email updates on new chapters. Then you won't have to check every day, hoping there's a new chapter, as I'm sure you do ;)

Also I wanted to say that I could REEEEEEALLY use some reviews right now! If you're not comfortable with that, PM me! I want to know SO BADLY what you guys think of my story! Even if you're one of those people like me, who just doesn't like reviewing, please do it for the sake of my SANITY! Make sure that you're also keeping up with TWINS (which is also not going to be updated that often anymore) and_ KatnissTheGirlOnFire19_'s Reapings for her tributes.

PLEASE REVIEW OR PM!

-ArianaWeasly


	8. Chapter 8 - District 7

_Author's Note:_

_So this chapter might not really make sense. Don't worry, it's not supposed to. Let's just say it's from an…interesting… character's point of view. Please give me your thoughts on her! And PLEEEEEEEASE review! I'm so sad, because I don't have ANY reviews! If you read and review my story, I'll read and review yours! PLEASE J_

_-ArianaWeasly_

**Lotus's POV**

**-District 7-**

The sunshine broke my dreams. Lying up in bed, I let my eyes wander around my small room. It was purple, my favorite color. I had put some Rumblestrum powder into the paint, to make it glow in the sunlight. It was absolutely splendiferous. I yawned, and melted out of bed, and onto the floor. I grabbed my slippers, and headed out into the hallway.

I stopped, and inhaled deeply. The hallway smelled strong, like pine, and like the color orange. That was probably because it _was_ orange, and it _was _made out of pine. Giggling to myself, I proceeded into the kitchen. I inhaled deeply again. I had been a lot into smelling lately. The kitchen smelled like yellow; the eggy scent of sulfur, with a pang of lemons. That's funny, the kitchen was blue. Scratching off some of the paint, I noticed some yellow underneath the blue. The blue was probably fake. Those silly Whackers.

The Whackers were the people who had lived in this house before me. I had never known what their real last name was, so I had just always called them the Whackers. That was because they chopped down my tree, when I was 4. In return, they had given me their house. I never knew why, but I lived by myself. I always had. I didn't have parents; I never had. I was from the trees. There were certainly plenty of those around here.

I grabbed an apple, and headed outside. I could tell this apple had been drugged by the Capitol. Before the Reaping, they poisoned most of the food. The poison wouldn't kill us; it was just a drug to keep us calm. They had done that every year before Reaping, ever since the first Uprising. They didn't want another one.

I didn't really care about the drug. It was harmless really, and it just had a weird sour taste, like a too small blueberry. Most people couldn't detect it though. You had to have really delicate senses, like mine, to notice it.

Inhaling deeply, I kicked off my slippers and began to run into the woods. The grass was wet with the early morning dew, and it was tickling my toes. Pausing for a moment, I threw my apple core to a squirrel above me, who caught it and ate the seeds hungrily. I began to run again, running all the way to my tree. Well, my stump now.

Kneeling down, I rested my forehead on it. After about 10 seconds, it recognized me, and spilt open. I walked down inside of it. The smell in here was very dark and strong, like wet soil. It must have watered itself recently. I walked over to my wardrobe. I kept most of my stuff in here still, even though I had a whole house to myself. In my wardrobe, I took out a full length purple chiffon dress. It had spaghetti straps, and floated all the way down to my ankles. I slipped it on, and watched it drift around, lighter than air, as I walked. It was beautiful.

I put on a pair of purple flats to go with it. Almost everything I wore was purple. Purple was the most magical color of all. It had a scent, a taste, a touch, but it was hard to put it with anything. That and the fact that my eyes were purple, an unusual color, made it my favorite color.

I picked up my purple striped pajama bottoms off of the floor, which now had wet stains on the knees. I picked up the white tank top that went with it, and said goodbye to my stump. It shuddered in response. It talked before it had been cut down. I could still remember its voice; gentle and melodic, and very purple.

The dew on the grass was quickly evaporating in the quickly rising sun. It came off in puffs of mist, similar to those you get when you breathe out on a cold winter day.

I couldn't run anymore because I was wearing a dress, so instead I twirled around a bit as I walked, entertaining myself with the wave like movements of the purple fabric. They swirled and danced around, even glimmering in rainbow colors when the sun hit it at a certain angle.

My house came into view through the trees, and I hummed a quiet, reddish tune. Red was the dramatic color, the show off, the violent one, the cunning one. Kind of like the Hunger Games.

Oh right…speaking of the Hunger Games, today was Reaping day. It was a Quarter Quell too, which meant that the Arena would be especially red, both literally and metaphorically. This thought dampened my mood, causing a sadder, grayer tune to escape my lips. My tree had taught it to me when I was little.

_Snow is our ruler, the dangerous one_

_His cunning and finesse are lacking none_

_He is the one who swallowed the sun_

_The one who we must fear._

_Sunshine cascades over the land_

_Immediately it is banned_

_Snow doesn't even extend a hand_

_It is he who we must fear._

_The gray and red are tucked in bed_

_Snow decides to wake them instead_

_He really is somebody to dread_

_The man who we must fear._

I don't know who wrote it, but it was probably written when Snow was "running" for president.

I walked inside my house, and looked myself over in the mirror. My long blonde hair was in its usual wavy state. I decided to throw some Rumblestrum powder over myself, to get that glowing effect. After that, I was ready to go to the Reaping.

"Next," the unfriendly Peacekeepers grunted. You'd think with such a sweet name like Peacekeepers that they would be a little bit nicer.

I held out my hand, and the Peacekeeper jabbed a needle into it. I flinched at the unpleasant red feeling.

"All clear," the Peacekeeper said gruffly.

I snatched my hand away from him and walked away to the front of the stage that was placed in front of the building. I stood with my age group on the girls' side. Nobody talked to me. Everybody stared.

I shifted my feet around a little, until the Reaping began. It started when Bristol Wedgewood, our escort, leaped onto the stage.

"Hello, hello! This year is a Quarter Quell year, a very special year!" she exclaimed. "Let's start with the showing of the Reaping film!"

The screen began playing a very dull video that I had learned to tune out. Instead, I occupied myself with counting hats. I got up to 27 when the mayor came out to read us the Treaty of Treason. I began counting the wrinkles on his hands. There were 33 on the right and 29 on the left. He's old.

Bristol made her way back onto the stage and started the interesting part of the Reaping.

"Let us find out what type of Quarter Quell this is going to be!" she sang out.

Out of nowhere, an envelope seemed to appear in her hand. She began to open it greedily, as if she had just received the largest package ever on her birthday. She had a very yellow personality.

"This year we all have ladies as our tributes!" Bristol said, her voice echoing around the dead silent crowd.

Small gasps filled the air, creating an almost musical sound. Everybody quieted down though once Bristol walked over and pulled out the first slip from the girls' glass bowl.

"Tyonna Martel!" Bristol announced.

A girl from the 15 year old section with a green dress on emerged from the crowd. She headed up to the stage, her eyes wide with fear, and brimming with tears. I felt bad for her, and slightly nervous for myself. My chances of being picked had just slightly increased.

Bristol happily plunged her hand into the girls' bowl for the second time, drawing out a cream white slip.

"Lotus Ashling!" she called out.

That was me. My blood froze, my heart turned to stone, and my hair stood on end. Then my body went back to normal and I glided up to the stage, swift as an autumn breeze. The crowd gasped slightly when they saw me. It must've been the Rumblestrum powder that caused it. I felt very uncomfortable for about my looks. I would rather be known for my purple personality, not my purple looks.

I grabbed the microphone and said, "Hello everyone! It's a very pleasant night, isn't it? Too bad the Glownifers aren't out."

It really was too bad. They were these darling little blue type creatures that sing and bake apple pies, and they were ever so polite.

The crowd stared at me, open mouthed, and I felt a little uncomfortable. Maybe I shouldn't have been so forthcoming.

Bristol hastily grabbed the microphone back from me and told me to shake hands with Tyonna. We did. Tyonna stared at me in wonder, and I gave her a friendly smile. She seemed nice, not like some of the bloodthirsty tributes we got occasionally.

"District 7," Bristol announced, "May I present to you, your Quarter Quell representatives, Tyonna Martel and Lotus Ashling! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

I beamed out at the crowd, wanting to cheer them up. They all seemed so sad. They shouldn't be after all. If purple couldn't win the Games, what could?


End file.
